Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Emmy's Fashion: Hits and Misses

This year the Emmy's were the day after the MTV Video Music Awards, and the two could not have been more different.  I loved the contrast in fashion between the two awards ceremonies.  The VMA's allowed stars to be a little quirkier and fun, and then the Emmy's brought the glamour and class.  I always have fun watching the red carpet arrivals and judging each person on their looks as I sit at home make-up-less in a comfy and frumpy outfit from my couch. Oh the hilarity!

Here's my list of the best and worst:

Best Dressed (Female): Lizzy Caplan



I never want to pick a black dress as my favorite because it seems so safe, but Lizzy stole the show for me.  When I first saw her the camera showed the look head on, and I thought, "Wow!  She's come a long way from playing a goth girl on the hit movie, Mean Girls, to become an elegant Hollywood Showstopper!".  The cut-outs and neckline on this Donna Karen gown were extremely flattering, and then . . . she started to walk away and I caught a glimpse of the back of the dress with the long white train . . . PERFECTION!  Even her make-up and classic up-do were spot on.

Best Dressed Runner Up (Female): Sarah Hyland


Sarah also wowed from head-to-toe in Christian Siriano. Her top knot was perfect for her fun, summery look.  She was right on trend in an age appropriate midriff top, and the ballgown skirt helped to keep the look more formal.

Worst Dressed (Female): Lena Dunham


Well, my first two ladies were perfect from head-to-toe, but Lena was a disaster from head-to-toe.  Her little boy bleach blonde haircut, to the school uniform looking blouse, to the can-can dancer looking skirt . . . all absolutely terrible.  In fact, it honestly baffles me how nobody stopped her before she left her house to let her know that look wasn't right.

Worst Dressed Runner Up (Female): Sarah Polson


Sarah's hair and skin look wonderful, but that tulle monstrosity of a dress looks like she raided my wreath making supplies.

Best Dressed (Male): Matt Bomer


Matt's classic Tom Ford tuxedo made him a standout.

Worst Dressed (Male): Jonathan Silver Scott



Let's just say I wasn't impressed with his underwear flashing. Moving on . . .

Best Dressed Couple: Matthew McConaughey and Camilla Alves


I loved both Camilla and Matthew's look.  My only complaint is that I wish the lining on Camilla's dress was full length, and I wish their looks complimented each other better. Camilla was wearing a Zuhair Murad gown and Matthew is in Dolce & Gabbana.
 
Best Maternity Look: Hayden Panettiere


Everyone is always talking about that maternity glow, and Hayden definitely had it. She looked radiant in her Lorena Sarbu gown.

Best Hair: Debra Messing


Her gorgeous red locks are an unfair advantage in this category, but aside from her genetic gift the styling was perfect as well.  I loved the dramatic side part and how all her hair was swept to one side. Debra won best hair, but her overall look was beautiful as well.

Worst Hair: January Jones


January Jones is a classic beauty, but her hair was a hot mess.  It looked like she just hopped out of the shower and had her hairdresser throw something together in the car on the way there.  Her hair appeared wet, greasy, or over hair sprayed.  I hardly noticed her gown because I couldn't take my eyes off  her terrible hair.

My Favorite Color of the Night: Kate Walsh


 I loved Kate's pop of yellow on the contrasting red carpet.  The yellow gown suited her red hair, and was a welcomed bright hue to the evening.

As always comment below to let me know who your best and worst picks were.

 Yours Truly,

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

2014 MTV Video Music Awards

If there's an awards show where you can take daring, bold, fashion risks then it's the MTV Video Music Awards.  Unlike other awards shows this one does not have a dress code.  They have an anything goes policy so you see everything from high fashion gowns to t-shirts, and sometimes the stars are wearing next to nothing.

Best Dressed (Female): Nicki Minaj & Beyonce (Tie)


I'm not sure Nicki has ever looked better.  I like seeing her more covered up with a more natural look than her over-the-top wigs, make-up, and more scantily clad outfits.  In her short mini she manages to show off her toned legs, and promote her newest single, Anaconda. There couldn't be a more fitting time to wear the snakeskin inspired look.

Beyonce helped bring some glamour to the Red Carpet in this black lace dress by Nicholas Jebran Courture.  The dress flaunted her curves perfectly, but I wish she would have picked another color besides black.

Best Dressed Runner Up's: Kesha and Nina Drobev


Kesha's white gown was breathtaking.  I loved the fresh white color for summer. Kesha is known for her eccentric style so I enjoyed seeing her in a more grown-up look.  I thought the touch of color in her hair was a perfect way for her to still let her personality shine through.


Nina's color blocked dress with side draping looked gorgeous on her.  The high ponytail was a great way to look fashionable and beat the summer heat.

Worst Dressed (Female): Taylor Swift


Talk about a disappointment!  I always look forward to seeing Taylor's red carpet looks, and this one was a complete disaster.  Her barely there Mary Katrantzou Resort 2015 romper was way too short (camel toe alert), and even the print was ugly.  The print looked like it belonged in a nursery or classroom with the alphabet on display.  I'm also confused by the shoes.  They're pretty, but I'm not sure plum shoes look good with bright blue. Yuck! The only thing nice I can say about her look is that her hair and make-up still looked good.  

Worst Dressed Runner Up's: Charli XCX and Solange Knowles


I love a good pantsuit, but what the heck!  This looks like a mix between the ever popular Zubaz pants from the 80's and pajamas pants.


Hair wrong, make-up wrong, outfit wrong. Wrong, Wrong, Wrong! If she wanted to do an over-sized jacket then her hair should be sleek. The jacket needs to be tailored. Menswear is in, but this menswear inspired look was not well executed.

Best Dressed (Male): Sam Smith


I'm giving this award to Sam due to the complete lack of good fashion from all the other males, and partly because I'm borderline obsessed with his music.  He looks very dapper in his three piece suit with his perfectly coiffed hair, but it stops there.  The shoes were not right at all.

Worst Dressed (Male): Austin Mahone

 

Austin- Justin Bieber called and he wants his look back!  I'm not sure why anyone would want to steal the Biebs style, but newsflash the look doesn't look good on anyone.  The drop waist pants, tall tee, and Jetson inspired jacket underwhelmed. I bet all the teeny bopper, "Mahonies" are completely disagreeing with me, but that's my two cents.  I will say that the kid does have good hair.

Best Dressed Couple: Jordin Sparks & Jason Derulo


White done right!  Sorry Austin, but this is how it's done!  Jason looks young, fresh and stylish.  His pants fit nicely and he paired his all white ensemble with a t-shirt that hits just below his hips (no tall tee here). He topped off the t-shirt with a tailored white jacket and blinged out sneakers.  Jordin's dress shows off her figure with a plunging neckline and leg slit.  My one suggestion for Jordin would be either shorter spanx, or less of a slit because I can see her undergarments a little. 

Worst Dressed Couple: Amber Rose and Wiz Khalifa (Warning! I suggest you're at least 18 yrs. old before scrolling down further)


I mean I have no words.   I guess she was adhering to the "less is more" advice, but someone needs to tell her that this isn't what that means. Put some clothes on girl!

Wow! Moment: Jennifer Lopez 


Jennifer's known for showing skin, and although I think she could start toning it down a bit she does look beautiful.  The top of her dress seriously looked as though it had been painted on her.  It fit like a glove, and gave me major body envy!

Copy Cat Look 1: Common stole Captain Kirk from Star Trek's Look


Copy Cat Look 2: Katy Perry & Riff Raff stole Britney & Justin's Look



Who Wore it Better- The Black Crop Top Edition: Miley Cyrus vs. Jourdan Dunn 

Please use the comment section below to let me know who you felt pulled off the black crop top better. I personally like Jourdan's look better. Both girls chose a high-waisted bottom, but I liked Jourdan's skirt better than Miley's pants.  Miley's pants look like she raided MC Hammer's closet.  The all leather ensemble seems too heavy for a summer event (sweaty mess to me). Jourdan's look was more feminine and flattered her statuesque figure.  Her cute angled bob haircut suited the look perfectly. In summary, both girls are young and can pull off the midriff top, but I choose Jourdan.


Biggest Transformation: Ariana Grande 


The above look is her 2014 outfit, and below from last year's 2013 VMA's.  I much preferred last years look.  I'm not sure why all these ladies feel the need to sex it up so much!  I know they say sex sells, but I hate to see this from a girl with so many young fans. I guess this means I'm getting old. Comment below to let me know which of Ariana's look you prefer. 2013 or 2014?


 Best Hair: Lucy Hale 



I couldn't find a great image of Lucy's hair when it was down, but Lucy hosted a red carpet pre-show and she had the perfect beach waves.  Her ombre gives her hair a sunkissed look, and it looked great both up and down.  The first image with her hair down was her interviewing look, and the second look with the low-ponytail was when she walked the red carpet.

Who were your favorites of the night?  Were there any hits or misses that I forgot to include.

 Yours Truly,

Monday, August 25, 2014

Pearls & Pumps Fashion Show

Disclosure: I'm posting this crazy late, but I had the article written and forgot to post it.  I had a string of unfortunate events occur during the months of March-June so I went on a blog writing hiatus.  Nonetheless, here's my post on the Pearls & Pumps Fashion Show: 

This past Saturday I attended the Pearls & Pumps Fashion Show at the Olmsted with my mother-in-law, Tammy, and my sister-in-law, Lauren.  The event is hosted by the Baptist Health Foundation, and the proceeds support Women's Cancer Research.  It's a fun event to help kick off the upcoming Derby Season.  Numerous of my favorite local shops were present with booths to allow for some shopping before the show started.  I browsed Moss Hill, Cellar Door Chocolates, and J. McLauglin's before finding a cute swimsuit cover-up at Two Chicks & Company.

After shopping we purchased raffle tickets hoping to win a day at the spa, a family fun day package, and most desirably, a trip to Colorado or Florida. Then, we grabbed some hors devours and our seat for the show.  The show featured four different looks that the crowd voted on.  The looks were: Derby Brunch, The Gala: A Night on the Town, At the Track, and Barbeque with Friends.  The following boutiques featured a look in each category: Boutique Serendipity, Clodhoppers, Drinks at the Plaza (Derby hats), Merci Boutique, The Carlisle Collection, JB & Me, Rodeo Drive Boutique, Von Maur, and Monkee's of Louisville.

Here were some of my favorite looks:





The above looks were both from Monkee's of Louisville.  In my opinion they showcased the best looks.  I unfortunately didn't take pictures at the show so I had to rely on their website for pictures.  I love the two looks above.  The first was in the "Derby Brunch" category, and the second look was for "Barbeque with Friends".  The model rocked a yellow Derby hat to complete the first look.  The second look used the sash to make the dress have a neck tie collar instead of using it to cinch the dress at the waist.  I personally liked the way the model wore the look better than the mannequin.  It gave the dress more detail at the top turning it into more of a shift dress since it wasn't cinched at the waist.  Monkee's also had a yellow dress coat featured in the show, but I was unable to find a picture on their website.  It had a bow at the top and 3/4 sleeves making it perfect for Spring.  I would have left the fashion show, and gone directly to their boutique to shop if my Louisville Cardinals weren't playing in round 2 of the NCAA tournament.

The gown below won my vote for "The Gala: A Night on the Town" look.  It's a Terani gown that can be purchased at Von Maur.  It was pretty from the front, but watching the model turn to walk back down the runaway grabbed everyone's attention with the embellished back.

Here's a couple other looks from the fashion show:








It was a fun event, supporting a great cause.  If you didn't make it out this year make sure to put it on your calendar for next year.

Pictured below (from left to right) Tammy Faust (mother-in-law), me, and Lauren Popham (sister-in-law):



 Yours Truly,